A few days ago, I blogged about finding a writer’s group.
Today, I want to give you a glimpse into the wonderful group that I found. It
was not the first or second group that I attended, more like the sixth or
seventh not counting conferences and workshops, and while each group had its
merits, this one was a fit.

Approximately seven of us meet on a weekly basis. Seven is a
good number in the event that someone can’t make the meeting there are still
enough people to make getting together worth it. With seven, we can read an
entire chapter of our work. Sometimes, a chapter is five pages, other times,
it’s twenty. We try to limit it to ten, but nothing is set in stone.

While we all dabble in different genres and story lengths,
we are for the most part, novelists. Keeping track of all the characters, their
actions, and multiple story lines is quite a feat, yet we are all able to do it
because we are vested in these, as yet unpublished, books.

Each person brings a different talent to the table. Whereas
one person is great for following the storyline, another is an expert on
dialogue and yet another, has a talent for exciting verbs. The insight and
intelligence of this group is staggering and I feel so lucky to have found
them. Sometimes, I am amazed at what is read at that small, kitchen table.

This doesn’t mean that I get or give glowing reviews each
time something is read. What I get and give is HONESTY. We say what does and
doesn’t work without being vicious. We offer suggestions or reading
recommendations. We offer tools for learning. We give compliments when they are
earned. We can cite a specific line, word or phrase that supports our thoughts
in either direction.

While all of us are still in the beginning stages of our
writing careers, we have enjoyed successes and setbacks. We have had manuscript
requests, both partial and full, from agents and publishers. We have had
contest winners. Articles have been written and published with reprint rights.
We have had requests to co-write with published authors. We’ve corresponded
with published authors that we can now count as our friends.

When the setbacks come; and they do. We have each other to
support and encourage each of us to take that next step and to continue
writing.

I hope every writer can find a group like mine. Keep
looking. There’s one out there for you, too.